Beefy's Corner - The Off-Topic Chat Thread

I'm going to come and heckle you. You fat bastard, who ate all the pies etc.

 

I look forward to the extra support

 

He can carry your pie holder.

 

Mile number 7 seems like a good time for pie. Thanks Khal Piego

 

Almost any time is a good time for pie. It just depends on the pie.

I find it a right bummer that pie pastry gives me a bit of indigestion, so it keeps the pie intake well down to once in a blue moon. Usually, it is when I'm out sailing because one often has food in one hand and a sheet [rope] in the other. Sailing food needs to be substantial, because sailing can be bloody exhausting. Hence, pie is the perfect sailing food.

With a dob of mustard if it's savoury.

 

Nicky H in third TSS?! Taking it Motagi is a Ducati circuit....

 

So I finally looked at the route for next year's Tour de France. With (almost) complete certainty, I say put your money on Nairo Quintana.

 

There is no such thing as a Ducati circuit anymore, LTL. However, any circuit that is soaking wet instantly becomes a Ducati circuit because their handling problems disappear and they become much more competitive. During an interview, Nicky said he realised that if it is a dry race he will go backwards very quickly.

I think that's a great shame. Hayden has never been the very fastest rider, even when he won his MotoGP World Championship in 2006, but he's always given his absolute utmost in every race and a team manager can rely on him. To hear him speaking about his bike's inability to be competitive says a lot about how low the people at Ducati must feel.

 

Looking forward to the race though. Yeah you can see how the wet has helped the Ducati boys - even Yonny Hernandez is up there. I rather doubt he'll manage to stay on his bike the whole race though......

 

The clocks go back tonight don't they?

 

Yep. Believe it's at 2am.

 

2am tomorrow morning, to be exact. So yes, before you trot up that wooden hill, do your clock reset.

Bah, humbug. I HATE putting the clocks back. I shall be depressed until December the 22nd.

 

Just wanted to check, I'm refereeing in the morning and don't want to turn up an hour early!

 

Oh, great, it's the week where we diverge from GMT-4, meaning that I'll inevitably wake up an hour early for the derby.

 

Xbox One OS crashes when you try to play a game online.....

 

My theory of why the Ducati is so crap at turning-in to corners [that's the real problem] is that they have a physically long engine and how they operate. I've only seen two sneaky photos of the Ducati MotoGP motor and if they aren't fakes [which I don't think they are] I reckon that has a lot to do with it.

I'm not great on the numbers involved but, put simply, Yamaha's motor is inline, across the frame in a conventional manner. Although it has an unconventional firing order [not important here] the firing impulses and piston throws are up and down, plus the bike is compact. Honda's RCV motor is a V-four [not a million miles away from my RC46 VFR motor - the bike in the avatar], where the firing and piston throws are slightly fore and aft. Honda's bike is also relatively compact. Ducati's motor is also a V, but a 90° one and it sits in the frame as an L, with the lower cylinders firing forward, creating a force which tries to make the bike steer straight. Coupled with the long engine [the gearbox sits on the back] this is where I believe the Ducati loses out. In the past this has meant that Ducati's were long bikes, a bad characteristic for the twisties, so they also made them taller, to effectively shorten. This made them slightly unwieldy. Whatever Ducati have tried, carbon fibre frame and swing arm, lengthen this, shorten that, employ the World's great racer to make the bike ridable by all, nothing makes any difference.

I can't back any of this up with figures, but I have a gut instinct that I'm not a million miles off from being correct.

 

Find Iwan Thomas and stick to him.

1.25 is not bad licks though. Good luck and all that stuff.

 

Seems to make sense to my very limited knowledge and common sense (equally limited, sadly!)

 

He'll be easy to find with his bleached blonde hair. He's probably too quick for me though. Looked his time up for last year and it was nearer 1hr 10! Thanks though. I'll try my best!

I wonder if Billy is doing it again this year?

 

Thanks for understanding what I was getting at LTL. I had a relative on the phone at the time of writing that and he wouldn't stop babbling inanely, even though I'll see him tomorrow when, no doubt he'll tell me all about the subject matter again. It meant that I had half a mind on what I was writing and the other half saying... Yeah..? No..! Really..?

I was also trying to eat a late dinner as well..!